United States · NHTSA recalls & complaints
Lincoln VIN decoder
Lincoln is Ford Motor Company's luxury brand. Henry and Wilfred Leland founded the Lincoln Motor Company in 1917, and Ford bought it in 1922. Lincoln's current US lineup is made up entirely of SUVs: the Navigator, Aviator, Nautilus and Corsair, and all four share one WMI, 5LM, in Ford's 2027 VIN filing.
Enter all 17 characters to see the build details NHTSA holds and the recalls for that model year.
- 22 model pages
- 265 recall campaigns
- 11,219 owner complaints
- model years 1995–2027
- 12 WMI codes in vPIC
- origin: United States
| Country of origin | United States |
|---|---|
| Region | North America |
| NHTSA recall and complaint data | Yes, model years 1995–2027 |
| WMI codes in NHTSA vPIC | 12 |
| Model pages | 22 |
| Other model names in NHTSA data | 1 |
| Vehicle recall campaigns | 265 |
| Owner complaints | 11,219 |
| Complaints reporting a crash | 692 (6.2%) |
| Complaints reporting a fire | 245 (2.2%) |
| Complaints reporting an injury | 431 (3.8%) |
| Complaints reporting a death | 23 (0.2%) |
| Data updated | September 25, 2026 |
Production is split between the United States and China. Ford lists the Navigator at Kentucky Truck in Louisville and the Aviator at Chicago Assembly. The Nautilus is built in Hangzhou, China, and Ford's 2027 VIN filing places the Corsair at a plant in Chongqing, China. Earlier Corsairs came from Louisville Assembly, where Ford ended Corsair and Escape production in December 2025.
That mix matters when you decode a Lincoln, because Ford gives its China-built Lincolns the same US-style WMI as the ones built in Kentucky and Illinois, so the plant code tells you more than the first character. Every Lincoln from model year 1981 onward uses the 17-character VIN, and NHTSA's vPIC database usually decodes North American-market Lincolns in detail. Lincoln shares Ford's VIN system with Ford and the discontinued Mercury.
NHTSA’s files hold 265 vehicle recall campaigns and 11,219 owner complaints for Lincoln vehicles from model years 1995 to 2027, summarised here on 22 model pages. The Town Car has the most complaints (2,048), followed by the MKZ (1,661) and the MKX (1,416). Of those complaints, 692 report a crash, 245 a fire, 431 at least one injury and 23 at least one death; the figures count complaints, not people.
The World Manufacturer Identifier is the first three characters of the VIN. NHTSA’s vPIC database decodes 12 WMIs to Lincoln; this is the complete list, with the manufacturer name, country and vehicle type vPIC records for each.
| WMI | Manufacturer (vPIC) | Country | Vehicle type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1L1 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States | Passenger Car |
| 1LJ | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States | Incomplete Vehicle |
| 1LN | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States | Passenger Car |
| 1MR | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States | Passenger Car |
| 2L1 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | Canada | Incomplete Vehicle |
| 2LJ | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | Canada | Incomplete Vehicle |
| 2LM | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | Canada | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) |
| 2LN | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | Canada | Passenger Car |
| 3LN | FORD MOTOR COMPANY, MEXICO | Mexico | Passenger Car |
| 5L1 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) |
Show the other 2 WMIsHide the rest
| WMI | Manufacturer (vPIC) | Country | Vehicle type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5LM | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) |
| 5LT | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States | Truck |
See the WMI code guide for how the codes are assigned.
Each model page lists NHTSA’s recall campaigns and owner complaints for that model name, by model year and component. Models are sorted by complaints; the data covers model years 1995–2027.
| Model | Model years | Recall campaigns | Complaints |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town Car | 1995–2011 | 27 | 2,048 |
| MKZ | 2006–2020 | 32 | 1,661 |
| MKX | 2007–2020 | 23 | 1,416 |
| Navigator | 1997–2027 | 68 | 1,350 |
| LS | 2000–2006 | 3 | 982 |
| MKC | 2015–2019 | 14 | 594 |
| Continental | 1995–2020 | 13 | 590 |
| Aviator | 2003–2027 | 51 | 485 |
| Mark VIII | 1995–2000 | 1 | 418 |
| MKS | 2009–2016 | 11 | 374 |
| MKT | 2010–2019 | 14 | 293 |
| Zephyr | 2003–2012 | 5 | 241 |
| Nautilus | 2019–2026 | 23 | 227 |
| MKZ Hybrid | 2011–2020 | – | 178 |
| Corsair | 2020–2026 | 36 | 170 |
| Corsair PHEV | 2021–2026 | 2 | 45 |
| Mark LT | 2005–2008 | 4 | 41 |
| Aviator PHEV | 2020–2023 | 1 | 33 |
| Mark | 1995–1999 | – | 29 |
| Nautilus Hybrid | 2024–2027 | 2 | 24 |
| Blackwood | 2002–2003 | 3 | 8 |
| MKT Limousine/Livery | 2013 | 1 | – |
– means NHTSA has no records of that kind under the model name.
Other Lincoln models in NHTSA data
NHTSA also lists these Lincoln model names, but with no recall campaign and fewer than 25 complaints each, so they have no page of their own: Mark VII.
Which WMI codes appear on Lincoln VINs?
Lincoln WMIs use L as the second character. Ford's 2027 filing uses 5LM for every current Lincoln SUV. Older Lincoln sedans carried passenger-car WMIs, which vPIC lists as 1LN, 2LN and 3LN for cars built in the US, Canada and Mexico.
| WMI | Manufacturer (NHTSA vPIC) | Country | Vehicle type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5LM | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States | MPV |
| 1LN | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States | Passenger car |
| 2LN | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | Canada | Passenger car |
| 3LN | FORD MOTOR COMPANY, MEXICO | Mexico | Passenger car |
| 2LM | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | Canada | MPV |
| 5LT | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States | Truck |
Why can a China-built Lincoln VIN start with 5?
In Ford's 2027 VIN attachment filed with NHTSA, the Nautilus and Corsair carry WMI 5LM, listed as Ford Motor Company, USA, even though position 11 places them in China. The first character therefore does not always show where a Lincoln was assembled; position 11 does.
| Model | WMI | Position 11 | Assembly plant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navigator | 5LM | E | Kentucky Truck, Louisville, Kentucky |
| Aviator | 5LM | G | Chicago Assembly, Illinois |
| Nautilus | 5LM | J | Hangzhou, China |
| Corsair | 5LM | A | Chongqing, China |
Lincoln SUVs also have their own serial range. Ford's filing reserves sequence numbers L00001 to L99999 in positions 12 to 17 for Lincoln vehicles, so a Lincoln serial starts with L. Positions 4 to 8 follow Ford's layout; see how to decode a VIN.
Where was my Lincoln Nautilus built?
Check position 11. In Ford's 2027 VIN filing, the Nautilus uses plant code J for Hangzhou, China, even though its WMI, 5LM, begins with the US region digit.
Why does my Lincoln's serial number start with L?
Ford reserves sequence numbers L00001 to L99999 for Lincoln vehicles in its VIN filing, while Ford-brand trucks and MPVs use A00001 to J99999. The L in position 12 is part of the serial, not a plant or model code.
Can I look up Lincoln recalls with this decoder?
Yes, by model. The decoder shows recalls NHTSA has issued for your Lincoln's make, model and model year, from NHTSA's public data for US-market vehicles. For one VIN's open-recall status, use NHTSA's VIN search or a Lincoln dealer. See recalls.
Does the VIN show a Lincoln's accident history?
No. A decode covers factory data such as plant, model year, body and engine. Accident, title and ownership records come from state agencies and licensed history providers, which this site does not connect to.
Brands mentioned in the notes above, then other North American brands, each with its own VIN notes and WMI list.
- Ford (161) United States · 1,229 recall campaigns
- Mercury (15) United States · 132 recall campaigns
- Buick (20) United States · 170 recall campaigns
- Cadillac (33) United States · 197 recall campaigns
- Chevrolet (172) United States · 751 recall campaigns
- Chrysler (37) United States · 208 recall campaigns
Data: NHTSA recalls and complaints flat files and NHTSA vPIC, updated September 25, 2026.